Monday, June 11, 2007

Thai-looking Food at Last

Finally, now to my first 'proper' Thai meal in Bangkok. This restaurant is in Siam Jusco, a small mall in the Rachadapisek area where I stayed. Nothing fancy just a simple place with air-conditioning.

Tom Yum Goong (150 Baht) came in a metal steamboat pot with the expected prawns. I liked the fact that they used fresh straw mushrooms instead of the canned ones. The spicy-sourish Tom Yum soup was flavourful with powerful nuances of lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves and galangal.

The Green Curry with Chicken (80 Baht) was a tad sweet. Spicy? Zilch. The chicken pieces were sufficiently tender. But I'm no fan of green curry due to its herby, grassy taste.

This dish of Grilled Cuttlefish (more like squid I think) (120 Baht) was outstanding. Two large squids were grilled and sliced. Due to the thickness of the squid, each bite was substantial and slightly chewy. Taste wise, it was fresh and because it was not subjected to heavy seasoning, the subtle taste of squid abound. I also liked the slightly charred bits on its skin. Oh and the squid roe was a bonus.

The Thai Fried Noodles with Shrimp (60 Baht) or more commonly known as Pad Thai was thin kway teow (rice noodles) stir-fried with chilli powder, shrimps, palm sugar, fish sauce and tamarind to create a dish that hit me with saltiness, than a sour tinge and followed by a slightly sweet end that had the gentle spicy touch. Beansprouts and ground peanuts added more crunch. I absolutely fell in love with the Thai lime. Squeeze halve of it onto the Pad Thai and it imparts an aromatic sourness. Smell your fingers after that and you'll never want to wash your hands, at least for the day. Anyone works in CK's fragrance labs? Hello?!

For the sake of fibres, we ordered Fried Asparagus with Oyster Sauce (70 Baht). The woody sticks were succulent and stir-fried with just garlic and oyster sauce, made good company for a steaming bowl of rice.

Then there was this one dish that caught my sister's attention on the menu. It was simply out of curiosity that we decided to order the Sauteed Morning Glory with Oyster Sauce (60 Baht). Morning Glory... Hmm. I remember it to be a creeper with purple flowers that resemble small trumpets. I really did not know what to expect or how that creeper would taste like.

When it had arrived, the family let out a loud 'chey', much to the amusement of the other diners around. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Sauteed Morning Glory with Oyster Sauce!

The Morning Glory turned out to be the humble Kang Kong which EVERY Singaporean would have eaten before. Oh well. It was worth the shot I guess.

Once again, everything was in Thai. So hopefully this shot of their business card for the address will be helpful.

Chew On This: Pepsi is still served in good ol' glass bottles that are so rare in Singapore, where plastic is king when it comes to bottles. Another thing, ice is chargeable (15 Baht) here in this restaurant and it seems to be the common practice here in Bangkok. How fortunate are we.